Resume.com

Resume.com’s online resume app is completely free. There are no costs, no upgrades, no paid premium features, and no payment information required to print and download your new resume. Read More

PROS

100% completely free site with all access features and no upsell for premium

Choose from 24 different resume templates

Quick and easy to sign up

Clean and Intuitive platform to navigate

Ability to import/upload existing resume

No company branding on the resume

Cover Letter Builder available

CONS

No analytics feature to track views and downloads of user’s resume

No resume writing tips/advice on how to complete each section

My Perfect Resume

My Perfect Resume has 27 free templates to help you create a professional resume quickly and easily for new job seekers and graduates. You can start writing from scratch or import an existing resume that you want to work on. Read More

PROS

Useful resume writing tips on how to best complete each section

Option to select from a pre-written list of skills and summaries

Choose from 27 different resume templates (for paid account)

Ability to import/upload existing resume

No company branding on the resume

Cover Letter Builder available

CONS

Sign up flow is long as it forces user to complete their resume, and then at the end of the sign up flow, in order to save the resume the user must select a subscription plan

Limited features available for free plan

Not intuitive to navigate the interface with a free plan

No analytics feature to track views and downloads of user’s resume

VisualCV

Visual CV offers job seekers a freemium pricing strategy for their online builder. This freemium strategy divides their offering into basic features, which are free, and premium upgrades, which you pay to access. Read More

PROS

Choose from 21 different resume templates (3 free and another 18 templates for paid account)

Stats available to track resume views and downloads

Ability to import/upload existing resume

Easy to sign up and navigate

Cover Letter Builder available

Can email resume to up to 5 people and receive feedback on free account

CONS

No resume writing tips/advice on how to complete each section

Company Branding watermark on the resume (must upgrade to paid account to remove this)

Zety (formerly Uptowork)

Zety (formerly Uptowork) uses a freemium model to offer different features for free and paying customers. The basic version does the trick if you’re a beginner who needs an unformatted resume fast. Read More

PROS

Useful resume writing tips on how to best complete each section

Choose from 18 different resume templates (for paid account)

Stats available to track resume views and downloads

Easy to sign up and navigate

Cover Letter Builder available (Paid account)

No company branding on the resume

CONS

Cannot import/upload existing resume

Limited features available for free plan

Novoresume

Similar to Zety, Novoresume provides helpful resume writing tips so that you can complete each section of your resume. It’s a simple option that’s easy to navigate for people who are new to resume writing. Read More

PROS

Useful resume writing tips on how to best complete each section

Easy to sign up and navigate

Cover Letter Builder available (Paid account)

No company branding on the resume

CONS

No analytics feature to track views and downloads of user’s resume

Not many resume templates to choose from

Limited features available for free plan

Cannot import/upload existing resume

SlashCV

SlashCV stands out by offering job hunters 60 free resume templates and a streamlined interface that helps you create a resume fast. Before you start with SlashCV, you should know that you have to pay to remove the SlashCV brand on your resume. Read More

PROS

Choose from 60 different resume templates (for paid account)

Useful resume writing tips on how to best complete each section

Easy to sign up and navigate (Clean and simple interface)

Ability to save to Dropbox

CONS

Company Branding watermark on the resume (must upgrade to paid account to remove this)

No Cover Letter Builder

Cannot import/upload existing resume

Resumonk

Resumonk offers a basic option for job seekers who need a resume. You can choose from four free resume templates with useful prompts to help you complete your resume fast. Resumonk watermarks your free resume with their logo. Read More

PROS

Choose from 60 different resume templates (for paid account)

Useful resume writing tips on how to best complete each section

Quick and easy to sign up

Stats available to track resume views (for paid account)

CONS

Company Branding watermark on the resume (must upgrade to paid account to remove this)

Cannot import/upload existing resume

Interface is a bit cluttered when navigating

CakeResume

CakeResume has an unusual take on the usual free resume builders, as they allow you to combine different sections to design your own resume template. Free users can mix and match 33 different resume sections to create a unique resume. Read More

PROS

Different snippets available to mix and match to design own resume template (many snippets to choose from

Company Branding watermark on the resume (must upgrade to paid account to remove this)

No Cover Letter Builder

Cannot import/upload existing resume

Longer sign up flow as user is required to complete a survey upon sign up (even if the user clicks on “I’ll answer later”, they’re still taking the extra click

Enhancv

Enhancv’s free website is a basic option that takes job hunters from start to finish in little time. The tradeoff of using such a simple online resume builder is that Enhancv lacks a lot of features that other options have. Read More

PROS

Quick and easy sign up flow

Easy to navigate

Cover Letter Builder available (Paid account)

CONS

No analytics feature to track views and downloads of user’s resume

Low number of resume templates (4)

Cannot import/upload existing resume

Company Branding watermark on the resume (must upgrade to paid account to remove this)

No resume writing tips/advice on how to complete each section

Free trial only, and then must subscribe to a paid plan to be able to edit resume

Kickresume

Kickresume offers a large selection of unconventional and colorful resume. Read More

PROS

No company branding on the resume

Ability to import/upload existing resume

Cover Letter Builder available

30+ resume templates and 20+ cover letter templates (Paid account)

Easy to navigate the interface

CONS

No analytics feature to track views and downloads of user’s resume

No resume writing tips/advice on how to complete each section

10 Best Free Resume Builders

Updated for 2019

Using a free resume builder is one of the fastest and easiest ways to write a resume today. Job seekers turn to these online resume makers because these professional documents can be confusing and intimidating, whether you’re a new job seeker or a seasoned professional. Resume writing can feel like a lot of work without the promise of a callback or interview -- and to make things worse, no one is even paying you to write them!

But the reality of modern job hunting is that you need a resume to apply for a job. From corporations to corner stores, if you want to get hired by an employer, you need to have a professional looking resume. But if you think all online resume makers are the same, you’re mistaken. Resume makers might look like they’re offering the same experience and product, but these apps are surprisingly different from each other!

The "What if" Scenario

What if you spend hours on your resume and find out you can’t print or download it for free?

What if you sign up with a company and find out they don’t have the features you need?

What if the website is hard to use or requires you to upgrade to a paid service?

What resume builder is actually free?

Don’t waste your time by committing to a resume creator without knowing if it’s the right one for you. Know what you’re getting yourself into before you start. Be confident that you’re choosing the best resume app for your needs with this comprehensive look at the best available on the web. Keep reading for product reviews of the top 10 free resume builders of 2019.

Resume.com

Resume.com’s online resume app is completely free. There are no costs, no upgrades, no paid premium features, and no payment information required to print and download your new resume. Their builder offers an easy “fill in the blanks” experience for job hunters who want to get hired fast. They also have a free cover letter tool.

Resume.com offers 24 professional resume templates and writing prompts if you get stuck. You can import an existing resume or start from scratch. They allow you to download and print your resume in PDF, Microsoft Word, rich text format, or plain text formats for free. There are no branded watermarks or logos, so hiring managers won’t know that you needed help to apply for the job.

You can also work on your resume at your own pace, as you’re able to save your progress and come back later. You can make multiple resumes and save or edit them whenever you’d like by logging into the website online. However, there are no resume stats, so this option may not be a good fit if you need tracking analytics for job hunt.

My Perfect Resume

My Perfect Resume has made an online resume maker that offers guidance to new job seekers, but you might feel a little tricked if you commit to using them without knowing all the details. My Perfect Resume provides job hunters with writing tips and pre-written lists of common skills and summaries that they can choose to add to their resumes.

However, the resume writing process is a little rushed with My Perfect Resume. The basic option doesn't allow you to save your progress, so you need to complete your resume in one sitting. When you’re finally finished, you find out that you need to pay to upgrade your plan, or else you can’t save, print, or download your formatted resume.

My Perfect Resume doesn’t have any free resume templates. You can’t print or save your professional document when you’re finished writing, though you can download an unformatted version for free. Despite these drawbacks, My Perfect Resume does has a free cover letter option. They don’t watermark resumes with their brand or logo, unlike similar companies.

Visual CV

VisualCV offers job seekers a freemium pricing strategy for their online builder. This freemium strategy articleides their offering into basic features, which are free, and premium upgrades, which you pay to access. They offer job hunters three different resume templates, a cover letter template, and the ability to import existing resumes. It’s straightforward and pretty easy to use for beginners.

VisualCV limits job hunters by printing a VisualCV branded watermark on your resume, which may look strange to a hiring manager. You need to upgrade to a paid account to remove this watermark. One of the more unusual aspects of VisualCV is that it provides statistics about the number of people who view or download your online resumes. This can be very helpful to people who are interested in analytics and data tracking during their job hunt.

Zety

Zety (formerly Uptowork) uses a freemium model to offer different features for free and paying customers. The basic version does the trick if you’re a beginner who needs an unformatted resume fast. Zety is helpful for people who are just starting their careers. They give job hunters useful resume writing tips on how to best complete each section inside the app.

It’s important to note that Zety doesn’t allow you to print your resume unless you pay them. Zety doesn’t provide any resume templates, though you can access 18 formats by upgrading to a paid membership. You also can’t import or download an existing document. However, you can download a plain text version of your unformatted resume for free. You can also see the number of views and downloads your online resume receives.

Novoresume

Similar to Zety, Novoresume provides helpful resume writing tips so that you can complete each section of your resume. It’s a simple option that’s easy to navigate for people who are new to resume writing. Novoresume offers eight free resume templates and allows you to download a PDF copy of your new resume.

However, you should know that Novoresume doesn’t allow you to print your resume for free once you’ve finished writing it. You can only create one free resume. Also, your free resume can’t be longer than one page. Despite these limitations, there are plenty of features if you choose to upgrade to a paid membership with Novoresume, including a cover letter helper, access to more resume templates, and helpful video tutorials.

SlashCV

SlashCV stands out by offering job hunters 60 free resume templates and a streamlined interface that helps you create a resume fast. Before you start with SlashCV, you should know that you have to pay to remove the SlashCV brand on your resume. This branded watermark may not send the right message to a potential employer who could see free resume creators as unprofessional.

You’re also not able to print your resume directly from the website or import an existing resume. However, SlashCV provides new job hunters with writing tips to help you complete each section of your resume. You’re also able to download your new resume as a PDF or save it to Dropbox.

Resumonk

Resumonk offers a basic option for job seekers who need a resume. You can choose from five free resume templates with useful prompts to help you complete your resume fast. Like many other companies, Resumonk watermarks your free resume with their logo. You aren’t able to print your resume, though you can download a PDF version of it to your computer.

Also, Resumonk can be a little unintuitive to use for new users. However, if you’d like to upgrade to a paid account, you can remove their branded watermark and access their premium features, including statistics to help you track the views on your online resume.

CakeResume

CakeResume has an unusual take on the usual free resume builders, as they allow you to combine different sections to design your own resume template. Free users can mix and match 33 different resume sections to create a unique resume. It is a free printable resume that lets you download a resume as a PDF. They also provide writing tips.

There are a few downsides to using CakeResume. You need to pay to remove their company watermark on your resume. Creating a resume can also take longer because you need to customize your own resume template. Overall, CakeResume is a great option for new job seekers who need to make their own custom resume template online.

Enhancv

Enhancv’s free website is a basic option that takes job hunters from start to finish in little time. The tradeoff of using such a simple online resume builder is that Enhancv lacks a lot of features that other options have. There are only four templates, no print option, no tracking information, and no writing tips for free users.

Enhancv doesn’t allow you to edit your resume, either. They are only offering you a free trial. You need to subscribe with a paid membership to edit text or remove the Enhancv watermark from your resume. However, unlike many other options, you can download a PDF copy of your trial resume for free.

Kickresume

Kickresume is a well-rounded option for job hunters that offers several features that other resume apps don’t have for free. Kickresume gives job seekers three resume templates and two cover letter templates for their resume and cover letter apps. They allow you to download a PDF copy of your document and there is no company branding or watermark on the resume you make with them.

Before you commit to using Kickresume, you should know that you can’t print resumes from their website. There aren’t analytics or tracking information available for how many people are looking at your resume. Kickresume is certainly a good option for job hunters who already know the basics of resume writing. Though they don’t provide any writing tips, a confident and experienced job seeker could give Kickresume a try.